Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

Answers to Evaluate Questions
1.
structuralism; 
2.
introspection; 
3.
gestalt; 
4.
psychodynamic; 
5.
d;
6.
humanistic
K E Y T E R M S
structuralism p. 15
introspection p. 15
functionalism p. 16
gestalt (geh-SHTALLT) 
psychology p. 17
neuroscience 
 perspective p. 
19 
 
 
psychodynamic 
perspective p. 19
behavioral 
perspective p. 19
cognitive 
perspective p. 20
humanistic 
perspective p. 20
22 Chapter 
1 
Introduction to Psychology
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23
Key Concepts
What are psychology’s key 
issues and controversies?
What is the future of 
psychology likely to hold?
M O D U L E 3
Psychology’s Key Issues 
and Controversies
As you consider the many topics and perspectives that make up psychology, rang-
ing from a narrow focus on minute biochemical infl uences on behavior to a broad 
focus on social behaviors, you might fi nd yourself thinking that the discipline lacks 
cohesion. However, the fi eld is more unifi ed than a fi rst glimpse might suggest. 
For one thing, no matter what topical area a psychologist specializes in, he or she 
will rely primarily on one of the fi ve major perspectives. For example, a develop-
mental psychologist who specializes in the study of children could make use of the 
cognitive perspective or the psychodynamic perspective or any of the other major 
perspectives. 
Psychologists also agree on what the key issues of the fi eld are (see Figure 1). 
Although there are major arguments regarding how best to address and resolve the 
key issues, psychology is a unifi ed science, because psychologists of all perspectives 
agree that the issues must be addressed if the fi eld is going to advance. As you con-
template these key issues, try not to think of them in “either/or” terms. Instead, 
consider the opposing viewpoints on each issue as the opposite ends of a continuum, 
with the positions of individual psychologists typically falling somewhere between 
the two ends. 
Nature (heredity) versus nurture (environment) is one of the major issues that psy-
chologists address. How much of people’s behavior is due to their genetically determined